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Troy Davis

by Terrie Rodello, AIUSA Oregon State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator

In 2011, after three stays of execution and a final appeal to the Supreme Court, Troy Anthony Davis, who was convicted of the 1989 murder of a police officer in Savannah, was executed by the state of Georgia, despite a compelling case of innocence. Prominent human rights advocates, fifty-one members of Congress, and many civil rights and peace and justice organizations, including Amnesty International, NAACP, and National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, had joined his family in a twenty-year fight to prevent his execution and reveal evidence that pointed to Troy’s innocence.

On Thursday, April 10 at 7:30 PM in the First United Methodist Church Fireside Room (1838 SW Jefferson St, Portland), Seattle-based human rights activist, writer, and filmmaker Jen Marlowe will talk about the story of Troy Davis and his family and the human impact of the death penalty detailed in her book, I Am Troy Davis which she co-authored with Davis’ older sister Martina Davis-Correia. Marlowe will be joined by Kimberly Davis, the surviving sister of Troy Davis. They will be introduced by Dr. Audrey Terrell, President of the NAACP Portland Chapter.

Troy Davis was executed by the state of Georgia last year on September 21. Join us on the first anniversary of the execution to keep his memory alive and rally to end the death penalty. Let’s not forget.

Our friend and fellow warrior for human rights, Martina Davis Correia, passed away on December 1 in Savannah, Georgia, while I stood near her hospital bed along with family and friends. She died peacefully after a painful struggle following liver failure caused by a decade’s worth of cancer treatments. Martina changed us, and she changed our world. She spoke truth to power in the way that a prophet does: bringing a timely message out of the margins and to the masses with conviction and graceful clarity.

One of the members of the AIUSA Abolish the Death Penalty Campaign team, met with Troy Davis yesterday to convey the support he received from Amnesty International. He asked the team to deliver this message back to everyone:

The struggle for justice doesn’t end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I’m in good spirits and I’m prayerful and at peace.

Troy Davis Execution a ‘Catastrophic Failure of the Justice System,’ Charges Amnesty International

Contact: AIUSA media relations at 202-509-8194

(Atlanta) – Following the announcement that the state of Georgia has executed Troy Anthony Davis, Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), released the following statement:

“The U.S. justice system was shaken to its core as Georgia executed a person who may well be innocent. Killing a man under this enormous cloud of doubt is horrific and amounts to a catastrophic failure of the justice system. While many courts examined this case, the march to the death chamber only slowed, but never stopped. Justice may be blind; but in this case, the justice system was blind to the facts.